Salisbury University |  Instructional Design & Delivery Newsletter | February 18, 2025

15th Annual Teaching & Learning Conference:
Session Recordings

21 engaging sessions, 25 virtual attendees, 77 in-person attendees, and an inspiring keynote by Dr. Deneen Long-White recap the 15th Annual Teaching and Learning Conference (TLC), held on Friday, February 7. The conference continued as a hybrid event, offering both in- person and virtual attendance for selected sessions in PH 156. If you missed the conference or attended but wanted to view recorded sessions, please visit the 2025 TLC site in MyClasses.

Black History Month 2025: African Americans and Labor

Did you know that each year, Black History Month has a theme? This year's theme focuses on "African Americans and Labor" and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History's (ASALH) article about this theme ends with "Indeed, work is at the very center of much of Black history and culture. Be it the traditional agricultural labor of enslaved Africans that fed Low Country colonies, debates among Black educators on the importance of vocational training, self-help strategies and entrepreneurship in Black communities, or organized labor’s role in fighting both economic and social injustice, Black people’s work has been transformational throughout the U.S., Africa, and the Diaspora."

Encourage students to take courses in Africana Studies and engage in campus events, including the Alumni Black Resistance Series and the annual SU African American Poetry Read-In, which can be found on the SU celebrates Black History Month site. 

See the ASALH TV for more video recordings of events, including the 2/13/25 session on The Reshaping of Racial Labor in the Age of AI.

MyClasses Tip: Message Students Who

You can use the Gradebook to send messages to your students using the Message Students Who option. Message subjects are filtered based on specific assignment categories:

• Haven't submitted yet—students who haven't submitted the assignment, even if they have been manually awarded a grade.
  • Why use this option? At the beginning of the semester, use this feature to remind students of an upcoming deadline. For example, if you have several quizzes throughout your course, using this feature will help students learn the deadlines early by sending gentle reminders until they can establish their own time management and routines.
   
• Haven't been graded—students whose assignments have not yet been graded (submitted or unsubmitted).
  • Why use this option? Frequent and effective feedback is important,  but if you are behind in grading, this is a useful way to communicate with the students and acknowledge you know that they submitted an assignment but  are delayed in reviewing their work. This simple communication strategy can alleviate their anxiety about knowing how they performed.
   
• Scored less than [point value]—students who earned a grade on their assignment less than X number of points.
  • Why use this option? Reach out to students who might have struggled on an assignment - provide them feedback and/or methods for improvement. Examples: (a) students who struggled with a writing assignment could be referred to the Writing Center for growth and support; or (b) students who are struggling with a particular concept could be referred back to a lecture, course materials or supplemental videos on the web.
   
• Scored more than [point value]—students who earned a grade on their assignment more than X number of points.  
  • Why use this option? Too often, we communicate more with students who are struggling, but why not congratulate individuals on their successes? Use this feedback to acknowledge and reinforce students' efforts and build your connection with them. 
   

At the beginning of the semester, use this feature to build an inclusive and welcoming climate. This feature also saves you time; although one message most likely will be sent to multiple students, each student will receive an individual message.

Resource: How do I send a message to students from the Gradebook? 

Call for Proposals for OER Faculty Grants

The Maryland Open Source Textbook (MOST) initiative is seeking proposals for its Faculty OER Grant Program, which supports faculty efforts to increase access, affordability and achievement for students at Maryland’s post-secondary institutions through the incorporation of open educational resources (OER) into teaching practice.

Available grants in 2025 include:

• Adopt/Adapt OER ($1,000 grant + Participation in the Lumen Circles Community of Practice)
• Create/Revise and Publish OER ($2,000 grant + Participation in the Rebus Textbook Success Program)

All proposals must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, April  18, 2025.

Declare OER Course Materials in Verba Collect

SU strives to provide transparency about the efforts of faculty and staff in increasing the use of Open Education Resource (OER) course materials. Any course that is identified through our course materials adoption process as free (zero-cost) or low-cost (under $50 per course) is tagged within GullNet for students to search using the Affordable Course Materials attribute.

In Verba Collect during your course materials adoption, instead of clicking on "no materials required," please:

1. Click the "Add Manually" tab.
2. Select the "Add OER Material" button.
3. Enter the title and/or link to the OER material(s) or enter a description stating the course will use free or low-cost materials.

SU is an Equal Opportunity/AA/Title IX university and provides reasonable accommodation given sufficient notice to the University office or staff sponsoring the event or program. For more information regarding SU's policies and procedures, please visit www.salisbury.edu/equity.

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